Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $239.20.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VST shares. Bank of America lowered their target price on Vistra from $231.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Vistra from $287.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Vistra in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $217.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Vistra from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Vistra from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th.

Vistra Stock Performance

NYSE VST opened at $164.19 on Wednesday. Vistra has a 1-year low of $90.51 and a 1-year high of $219.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $166.93 and a 200-day moving average of $186.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74. The firm has a market cap of $55.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.27, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.41.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). Vistra had a return on equity of 64.04% and a net margin of 6.70%.The business had revenue of $4.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.60 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vistra will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.227 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Vistra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vistra

In related news, EVP Stephanie Zapata Moore sold 8,219 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.35, for a total transaction of $1,424,763.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 79,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,842,690.90. The trade was a 9.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 56,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.86, for a total transaction of $9,456,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 306,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,772,476. This represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 166,680 shares of company stock worth $28,761,790 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Vistra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra during the third quarter worth $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vistra in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vistra by 2,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Vistra in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is an integrated power company that develops, owns and operates electricity generation and retail businesses in the United States. The company’s operations span wholesale power production—through a diversified fleet of thermal and lower‑carbon generation assets—and retail electricity supply to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Vistra serves organized wholesale markets and competitive retail markets, with a notable presence in Texas and other regional U.S. power markets.

Vistra’s core activities include the ownership and operation of generation facilities, the commercial dispatch and optimization of those assets into wholesale markets, and the sale of electricity and related services to end-use customers through its retail brands.